Cooking as Revolutionary Act Hand Out - PDF

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COOKING IS A REVOLUTIONARY ACT
Cooking real food is a revolutionary act. Food is about nourishment and is fundamental to our
existence. As more people do not know how to cook, we have lost the means to care for
ourselves. The kitchen is a revolutionary place for people to feel empowered, learn, connect to
the environment, share their culture, provide fellowship, build community, and cook up
solutions to brainwashed thinking that food costs too much, it is too hard to grow, takes too
long to cook, cuisines of people are color are bad for you (the Med diet is only great diet in
town), people of color can’t liberate themselves and their health because they lack the
knowledge, and the best one for last, what about food deserts? I will share concrete examples
and methodologies that show how cooking and culinary education can emancipate the food
movement and make it even more delicious, inclusive and equitable.
One of the greatest pleasures of my life has been that I have never
stopped learning about Good Cooking and Good Food. - Edna Lewis
Nadine Nelson nadine.nelson@gmail.com
globallocalgourmet.com
917-719-6859

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ANATOMY OF A GOOD CULINARY TEACHER
- Exploring & developing your teaching philosophy
- What unique things do you have to offer?
- Skill mining - your culinary strength
(adapted from Apps, J. (1991).Mastering the Teaching of Adults. Malabar, FL: Krieger
Publishing Co., pp. 27-35)
Respond to the following prompts in developing a comprehensive record of your beliefs about
the various aspects of teaching and learning cooking.:
INTRODUCE YOURSELF THROUGH THIS QUESTION:
How does your personal food story influence your teaching and/or relationship to food and
cooking? How you perceive how people learn about food and cooking?
In Pairs:
1. What are your aims for teaching cooking? What do you hope to accomplish when you
teach cooking? What do your aims say about you as a cooking teacher?
2. Create a list in response to the following prompt: “When I teach/ cooking I:” Once
you’ve created the list, reflect on why you do what you do.
3. Why do you believe your students want to learn about cooking? What are some of
their objectives for culinary education? Describe them as learners in any way you can.
4. What do you believe about learning how to cook? How would you describe this
philosophy? What are your sources for your beliefs about cooking and one’s ability to
learn how to cook?
From the information you record, you should gain a better understanding of yourself as a
cooking teacher. Key themes should emerge to help you create your teaching cooking
philosophy.
TWO INTERACTIVE WAYS TO EXPLORE NEW INGREDIENTS AND RECIPES adapted
from FEEST (Food Empowerment Education and Sustainability Team)
I. “WHAT CAN WE MAKE WITH THIS?”
- write the name of a few dishes on the board
- Assign one or two leads for each dish
- Create a basic ingredient list and basic amount
Facilitation Questions:
- Have you ever tasted this before?

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- Does your family have a recipe for this kind of food?
- Have you ever cooked this before?
- Have you seen this cooked before?
- Has anyone ever eaten this in a restaurant?
- Have you ever tasted anything like this before?
Challenges for students:
- Which of these flavors would go together?
- What is the craziest thing you can make with this?
- What can you not make with this? followed by “wanna bet”
- Can you create a dish for a certain region of the world?
- Propose a challenge to use a particular food item or product.
- Use a certain spice or create a certain flavor.
Reflections:
This activity is an introduction to food itself. It especially works well in talking about ingredients
people do not know. Pass the knowledge/ Share the knowledge, prepares the group for the act
of cooking. A great part of the activity is tasting things. It reduces the fear factor or lack of
knowledge for certain ingredients and is a refreshing way to explore the ingredients you will be
using in a recipe. By passing information between each other, we actively share power. This a
great time to talk about seasonal ingredients, sustainability, and nutrition. This exercise also
allows you to asses what the knowledge and skill level of the group is and plan to adapt your
teaching accordingly.
II. YES AND….. BUILDING A RECIPE
Who says too many cooks spoil the kitchen?
The Yes/And Menu is a game an entire room full of people can play in order to create a dish or
even a whole meal. It is a game of communication that teaches students how to work together
in harmony while cooking. One person starts the dish, one by one, everyone in the room adds
on little by little by saying “Yes, and “You can modify slightly or greatly, but you can’t contradict
what came before. We are creating a culture of yes.
Consistently saying “Yes/And” to the people around you expands the sense of what is possible
and pushes and individual’s capacity for innovation and creativity. It gives people the power to
enhance or modify what came before them and creates a powerful sense of possibility and
positivity. It teaches people to simultaneously accept a given situation (Yes!) while improving
upon the situation (And!).
The Activity
1. Get in a circle.
2. One person volunteers to start a recipe.
3. They say one line of the recipe and then the recipe moves on to the next person.

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4. The next person says “Yes, and” and must continue on the idea. The “Yes, and” person
cannot contradict the statement that came before. They can build on it morph it, but not
negate it.
Example:
We are going to make a Kale and Swiss Chard Salad
Yes, and and the greens will be local yes, and they lettuce will include Kale, yes, and the herbs
will be basil ….. .
5. For larger groups, the menu ends when you get back to the first person. Smaller groups may
go around two to three times, building on the same story.
6. Make sure people talk relatively quickly and keep it moving.
7. When finished, ask the group how they felt about the game.
- Was it easy or difficult to play?
- What made it difficult?
- What made it easy?
- Do you think you can actually make it?
- How easy or how easy or hard was it to say yes to another person’s ideas when you
had a different thought? What did it require of you?
- What do you think is the benefit of saying yes to someone’s ideas?
- How does it feel when people respond positively to your ideas? Which one do you prefer?
Reflections
Depending on what is your intent about what type of cooking class or cooking experience you
are trying to create, this activity is great for building a sense of community and will create an
awesome menu that can be fine tuned to work well depending on the group.

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CREATE AN ART INTERVENTION
An art intervention is a way of interacting with people, a work of art or specific area. It is
conceptual art that, depending on the ideas behind the work, also may be performance art.
The idea is that, using artistic expression, those involved "intervene" in normal activities or
beliefs to initiate some form of change.
An art intervention usually begins when an interventionist identifies a problem in some area.
The interventionist then brainstorms to establish possible ways of making a specific statement
through artistic means.Thus, the scope of the intervention primarily depends on the
imagination and artistic vision the interventionist has, although resources and permission
access can limit the interventionist's choices somewhat. The goal of an art intervention is
always to stimulate modifications to existing systems. The fact art interventions promote
leaving current systems behind means that people sometimes consider art interventions to be
a way of symbolically protesting something and challenging present authority. Depending on
exactly what the interventionists want to do, these challenges sometimes require extensive
work to obtain permissions and licenses. Even when proper authority is granted,
interventionists may face resistance from the public, simply because their views go against the
norm. As a result, interventionists often have to assert their rights to freedom of expression and
speech.
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM YOU WANT TO EXPLORE?
WHAT ARE YOUR RESOURCES AND POSSIBLE COLLABORATORS?
WHAT ARE WAYS OF MAKING A SPECIFIC STATEMENT ARTISTICALLY WITH YOUR
RESOURCES AND PERMISSIONS IN MIND?
WHAT WILL BE THE METHOD(S) TO EXERCISE YOUR INTERVENTION?

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RESOURCES TO TEACH COOKING
Cooking Matters is key to Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, which connects kids
in need with nutritious food and teaches their families how to cook healthy, affordable meals.
https://cookingmatters.org/ https://www.nokidhungry.org/images/september2013/
Moroccan%20Carrot%20Salad.pdf (My recipe for Moroccan Carrot Salad)
Create Your Plate
You can practice The healthy meal combinations with this interactive tool.
http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/create-your-plate/
The Edible Schoolyard Network connects educators around the world to build and share a
K-12 edible education curriculum
http://edibleschoolyard.org/resources-tools
Food Demonstration Tips & Resources on How to Teach Cooking
https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/resource-library/cooking/teaching-cooking-skills
Good and Cheap is a cookbook for people with very tight budgets, particularly those on
SNAP/Food Stamp benefits. The PDF is free and has been downloaded more than 1,000,000
times.
https://cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf
Growing Power has served as a ”living museum” or “idea factory” for the young, the elderly,
farmers, producers, and other professionals ranging from USDA personnel to urban planners.
http://www.growingpower.org/
Healthy and Homemade, Eating Well on Budget by Juju Harris (Black author and educator)
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/03/13/289594815/former-wic-mom-brings-produceand-cooking-skills-to-dc-s-food-deserts
Contact Juju directly, book is currently being
republished with more content. http://www.nanajujurocksfood.com/
How to Teach Cooking to Kids
This book will give you the tools you need in order to become a successful culinary educator.
http://www.julienegrin.com/HowtoTeach_Ebooklet.pdf
Oldways offers various cultural diet pyramids, curriculum, recipes, and resources inspiring
Good Health through cultural food traditions
http://oldwayspt.org/
Plenty of resources for culinary education, gardening, recipes: https://www.pinterest.com/
chefnadine/

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